It took a special occasion to unite the best of corporate India, and the inaugural Fortune India Best CEOs event delivered just that, at Mumbai’s Trident on November 17, 2025, with editor-in-chief Sourav Majumdar setting the tone for an evening of insight and impact.
Valuing the CEO Multiple
In a sharp, idea-rich session, Devina Mehra (First Global) reframed how leadership should be evaluated, beyond earnings beats and margins. As Mehra put it: “RoCE is actually return on CEO first, and only then return on capital employed,” centering performance as a direct function of CEO quality. Jain stressed the core question: is the company’s competitive advantage deepening or eroding over time, especially amid private-equity-backed, growth-at-all-costs models.
Finance 2.0 and the AI Arc
In a compelling conversation, K.V. Kamath highlighted India’s unique runway, clean bank balance sheets, tight fiscal policy, and digital public infrastructure, adding that without DPI, Covid navigation would have been far harder. Looking ahead, he argued AI will define financial services 2.0, with technology emerging as the great leveller.
Decentralizing India’s Growth
The spotlight on Uttar Pradesh outlined a striking transformation, doubling GDP and per-capita income in seven years, backed by a four-pillar strategy and a dedicated GCC policy to position Noida and Lucknow as hubs. The takeaway: India’s growth is decentralizing through talent, policy clarity, and infrastructure that attract global work and capital.
The Three Pillars for Viksit Bharat
In the finale, Shashwat Goenka engaged Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who framed India’s next phase on three pillars: technology, high-quality standards, and sustainability. He urged a mindset shift away from “chalta hai” toward precision and deep-tech investment, as India accelerates its role as a trusted global partner.
Fortune India’s debut Best CEOs Awards closed with felicitations, and a refreshed leadership playbook: build moats, bet on AI-enabled talent, decentralize growth, and hold quality as the non-negotiable standard for a confident, competitive India.
